Looking for something fun to do this holiday season?  Consider introducing your tot(s) to some of Santa’s reindeer.  They’re at the SF Zoo.  Just follow the red signs to their location.  Both of my boys loved watching the reindeer prance about.  In fact, we could have probably spent most of the day just observing the reindeer do their thing.

After visiting the reindeer, we stopped by to see the penguins.  Luckily for us it was feeding time which happens at 10:30am and again at 3:30pm.  Bobby laughed as the penguins lined up to be hand fed their breakfast.

We then strolled about for awhile checking out the zebras, monkeys and even the rhino.  Bobby though was most amused by the peacocks that were free ranging along the paths.

We ended up stopping for lunch right near the carousel, which proved to be a great way to encourage Bobby to enjoy some veggies. Of course after his lunch, he got to ride the carousel.  He picked out a pig to ride on and loved trying to figure out how the pig moved up and down.  I totally loved admiring the beauty of the carousel which is made out of wood and dates back to the 1920s.  Total perfection.

Of course a trip to the zoo would not be complete without stopping by the children’s petting zoo with goats, horses and ducks.  My boys loved petting the goats. I loved watching them. For older kids, there is a tack barn with creative activities like drawing for kids to enjoy.  My boys aren’t there yet, and were more into taking the mini tractors for a spin around the grounds.

Tips – If you can swing it, I highly recommend going on a weekday it is a much more relaxing experience. Avoid the first Wednesday of the month as it is the free day for SF residents. I also highly recommend bringing a picnic lunch as well as some extra layers.  Oh and kids 3 and under are free.  So enjoy!